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With the exception on one tale of love and cricket, I was one the edge of my seat all the way through. It's nice to go back a revisit things but hard to get right, this was bang on
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 | great creature, pity about the story |
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| What: | The Land of the Dead (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Monday 17 December 2007 |
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| Rating: |   4 |
I really wanted to like this story but unfortunatly it just didn't work for me. I loved the story before this Wispers of Terror and had high hopes for it - maybe that was the problem.
The main problem i had was the plot. It would go in one direction and when you understand it, it changed direction. The other problem was the cast. The only thing that any of them did was complane to the Doctor all the time (i almost expected to see Dr Phil on the CD cover), I was hopeing for all their deaths just to shut them up.
There was a couple of good things about this story thoe. Fistly Davidson's and Sutton's proformance were good but this wasn't enough to save the story. The other thing was the bone creatures. Their concept was very well done, but they never amounted to anything.
Cole had tried something diffrent here but it hasn't worked, which is a shame as i have liked everything else he has done (Marian Conspiracy and Feast of the Drowned are amoung my favorates), so i wont judge him to harshly.
4 out of 10.
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| ...all this and a point to make |
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| What: | The Last Dodo (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Patrick, Sydney, Australia |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
After the appallingly awful "Earthworld" from several years ago, I was a little wary of Jacqeline's style. However, this time, she's come up trumps with a book that sustains an easy readability and also captures the style of its main characters well. The change of narrative style can take some getting used to, but I can forgive the jumps for two reasons: firstly, several wonderful laugh-out-loud moments; and secondly, an environmentalist\animal-lib sub-theme that isn't rammed too hard, but there for the enjoyment. Very nice work, Ms Rayner, 9 gold stars for your efforts:-)
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| Read this booK and was hooked |
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When i first started collecting Dr Who books and stuff I had no intention of reading any of them, it was just something to collect. This was the first Dr Who book i ever read and i have to say that i have been hooked ever since.
Now its been 10 years since the first time i read it and now that i read it again i have new reaspect not only for this book or Mr Hulke, but for the Target novels in general.
To get a story that is a 10 episode epic into a book that was less than 150 pages was a mamath task that the author did very well, abd becuse of that he was and still is (of the Target novels atleast) my favorate author.
his style to take a little time away from the plot to introduce us to the charecter and scene setting is a welcolm change from some of the Terrence Dicks books that we got later on (no disrepect intended Nr Dicks).
Of course the first time i read it i had no idea that this was The 2nd Dr's last story so when the regeneration happened i couldn't put it down, and couldn't wait to read the next book in my collection (which i should point out at that point in time consisted of about 10 books.) which was Cave Monsters, which i will do a review when i get a chance.
But this book was great, and it is a lot of the reason that i am such a fan now. Thank you Mr Hulke for everyhing. If you are new to the series definately read this before you watch it.
10 out of 10 from me.
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| The Coming of the Plasmatons |
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Time flight is a brilliant storyline.
| What: | The Time Warrior (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Sam, Plymouth |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
It was a brilliant idea from the start. A spaceship landing in the middle ages. A mizx of history and future in one. Never done before, and probably nothing like this will ever show up again. Dot cotton in her younger years, watching her on Eastenders. It's a shock!!! This is better than all of the other sontaran stories put together. And Jon Pertwee is a brilliant actor. I was gobsmacked to hear he died just after i was born. Elisabeth Sladen was brilliant in this. Seeing her latly with her own spinoff is brilliant. 10/10 Definatly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
| What: | Planet of Evil (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Sam, Plymouth |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
It all started with a distress call from zeta minor. A very unbelieveable planet. A wobbly set, with a wierd storyline. What has this got to do with Jekell and Hyde. Even 2 year olds don't like it! On a good note, the grewsome deaths looked really grewsome, it was realistic on those bits. It was a real 70s Show. Which is a whole load of rubbish nowadays. I give it an 8 for effort.
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| It was a brilliant story line |
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| What: | Destiny of the Daleks (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Sam, Plymouth |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
The Daleks were magnificent. I'd never seen anything like it. Even though i'm only 12, i like the old episodes of doctor who. I can't wait until the next release. Beneath the surface. Ithad brilliant special features and a fantastic easter egg. Davros was terrifing to watch on screen. I hope he comes back in the new series. The Movellons were brilliant robots, and the love between lalla ward and tom baker was high in this one. I could watch it for a whole week.
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| enjoyable but hard to follow in places. |
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My summary pretty much says all i have to say about this book. I loved the concept of what would happen if the TARDIS got turned inside out, i mean if it happened in your home town how much ground would it cover.
The plot was good and well writen and the Prosecces were a interesting baddy (if there big giant leches why not just grab a big bag of salt in throw it at them). Also the stuff on Galifray with rassolon was worth reading the book on its own (he realy was a bastard, wasn't he.) It was also nice to see that the 7th Dr and ace are evolving nicely into the new books.
The only real problem i had with the book was that it was hard to follow in places. particulay when the survivors and the proceses started meating there other selves, it was hard remembering who was from the future, past or present survivors. The other problem i had with it was there was nothing leading me into the next Cats Cradel book. so do i have to read it or can i go and read a book from the missing adventures or BBC stuff first.
In conclution this was a good book, but wasn't great. And if your new to Dr WHo fiction I sugest you leave this one for another time. 6 out of 10
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| ....And I throught Paul Cornel was bad |
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I don't like books with two auhors and i have to say that this book toke that hatred to a new level. In fact between this book and the great work he is doing on the series now ie Fathers Day and Human Nature, i now have new faith in Paul Cornel. Its like one wrote a chapter then sent it to the other where he wrote one, then visa-versa, and it shows in the writing styles.
I had just finished The Eight Doctors(Which I love, and you can read my review there.), and i was realy looking forward to the first of the past Doctor series. This book almost made me forget about the whole series (but i'll take Simons word for it that they get better, they sure as well can't get much worse). this is the first ever Doctor Who book i had failed to finish (I hated Love and War by Cornel but i still finished it, maybe i should read it again.).
The idea was sound and reading the back cover i was entriged. Corruption in UNIT was a great concept as the Doctor doesn't care for Earth politics so him working for a goverment like the USSR was mouth watering. but it amounted to nothing.
The charecteriation was terrible. The only one they got even remotly right was the Brig. Topping and Day obviously didn't do there reasurch and screwed up the Doctor and Liz completly. AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON MIKE YATES, loved his charecter in the 70's now I'm not sure if I even like him now.
I will probably put this book down to these two autors just had a bad day, and i'll probably read something else of theres that they wrote by them selfs, but if i dont like that eather then i will probably just block these two from my mind.
3 out of ten and im being genirous here... No... on second thorts 2 out of ten
| What: | Series 1 Volume 2: (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | AO, UK |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 3 |
Dalek of course is a quality piece of work, its just a shame therefore that its partnered with AoL and WWIII which first showed the major cracks inherent in RTDs vision for the show
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| Half Ridiculous, Half Imaginative |
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| What: | Absolution (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 8 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Absolution is C'rizz's final story, in which he... leaves. As such, you knew it was going to involve some kind of twisted religion, and it does so.
I have mixed feelings about the story. The first disc is rather ridiculous, though imaginative, but the second disc brings things into more acceptable, understandable, and satisfying territory, and C'rizz's farewell is done quite nicely, making him more interesting, and making his departure a significant event.
Basically, C'rizz somehow has a collection of belongings he somehow brought from the Divergent Universe, though I don't recall ever hearing about these before, and didn't realize they ever had time for him to collect anything to take with him... Among them is an absolver - a reliquary from his home that contains the souls of those he has "saved." Eh... right. When it is accidently opened, the TARDIS does some extremely improbable things, which are actually rather interesting, and they all go to hell. Literally. That bit was rather incomprehensible to me, as the Doctor is talking about heaven and hell and purgatory, as if he has known about them being actual places for his entire life. Eh... right.
Okay, well, then we get to the beginning of disc 2, and we get the following summation of the story so far:
The Doctor: "So in summary, you live in a bubble in hell, protected from the inferno by an induction barrier but unable to escape because of that same barrier. Have I summed it up correctly?"
Cacothis: "With admirable clarity. Although I'm afraid there's more to it than that."
The Doctor: "There usually is."
And as we go on, we learn that long ago, there was a "botched dimensional experiment" that created the domain they've found themselves in. Cacothis and the others have come to feel that science betrayed them, so they've turned completely to religion to keep their lives together, as they've been "abandoned by time" and live in an unchanging stasis, in the midst of a horrific inferno.
Meanwhile, C'rizz has ended up on the other side of the barrier, and is undergoing a sort of "Jedi mind training" by Aboresh, and begins to develop extraordinary powers that are being brought to bear on the situation.
Though a bit inexplicable at times, Absolution is an imaginative story that is a good sendoff for C'rizz. It is nicely produced and mixed, and McGann is fantastic, especially on the second disc.
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| Doctor Who meets the Green Movement |
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| What: | The Price of Paradise (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Wednesday 5 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I noticed that so many people seemed to placed this as a mediocre novel in the new BBC Doctor Who archives and I suppose it could be seen that way. I only have to disagree that it is not so much a book inspired by Doctor Who as it is one inspired by conservationism.
As I began reading this novel, I was first drawn to all the talk of keeping a planet untouched and pure, the thought of a planet as one's keeper and provider not some lump of rock you were lucky enough to land on. This was a breather from the normal 'Doctor goes in, saves the day, leaves without a care to the tampering he has done on the alien world'. Granted, that is harsh to say, but it happens quite often. This book made more sense with the Doctor's character promoting the conservation of a very natural world. There even some nice jabs at our time and our over use of natural resources and nonchalance toward the future of Earth.
On all other lines of fire, the story is somewhat dull, not without action mind you, but it is somewhat predictable. Thus, if you are just looking for something Whovian to read with maybe a little modern day twist to it, it's a good read. Just don't expect to much if you just don't get into the Green Movement.
Seriously? I had to check the title twice: seriously, this was a Torchwood novel? Sure it contains all the character's, the Hub, even the SUV, but this book is anything but a Torchwood novel.
This book lacks quite a bit but what it lacks above all else it characterization. I truly felt as though the author had no idea who Cap'n Jack or Gwen or any of the various reoccurring characters were. There were so many times when a major part the the team would do something so out of style for them such as Owen recruiting an old girlfriend to join him at Torchwood over the internet. First of all Owen--he's a swinger, and in no point in the series is shown to care for anyone one he once dated; that's the point of his character: he's almost completely self-centered. Second, the Owen on the show certainly doesn't seem the one to promote his work, especially as negatively and coldly he refers to it, so why would he need to in a book. This sadly is only one of many character holes found in this book.
Another loss in this story is the it factor which is slightly harder to explain. By it factor , I mean that special something the author puts into the plot that really can't be pinned down that really makes the story stick out from all the other blah you may read or watch. Everyone knows what I mean: think about how repetitive Doctor Who can get in its plot lines (how many times can the Doctor say so-and-so-companion from the Daleks, right?) but for some reason, we all keep tuning in to watch. That's because the writers are pretty good at incorporating that little twist that makes the episode unique to all the others. Well, this novel comes without none. And due to this, it drags and becomes repetitive and just down right uncreative.
In all ends, this novel is full of repeated words structures, nails-on-chalkboard character demolitions, and a rather mediocre bought-the-same-thing-yesterday story. So if you enjoy eating a bucket of nails, enjoy swallowing the disgusting piece of regurgitated writing.
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| Four Series Greats Produce Four Duds |
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| What: | 100 (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 3 |
As I write this, 100 has received an 8.7 average from 9 votes. I don't get it.
100 is the 100th monthly Doctor Who release from Big Finish. It's comprised of four separate stories, each one episode in length, each featuring "100" in some way, each featuring the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn. That's the simple, basic premise. It's too simple a premise, and resulted in a very unfocused, sloppy collection of muck. The most surprising thing about this is, though, that the stories are all by very good writers, who have written for some very good Big Finish releases, though Rayner did give us Doctor Who and the Pirates, and Lidster did give us Terror Firma, two of the worst stories in the line. Here, these accomplished writers have given us the equivalent of poor fan fiction.
Episode 1 is 100 B.C. by Jacqueline Rayner. This is the worst of the lot, as the Doctor makes a very stupid error that leads to him trying to ensure that Julius Caesar's parents succeed in conceiving him on the night it's supposed to happen, so as to make sure the established historical timeline is restored. I'm not joking. An embarrassment from start to finish.
Episode 2 is My Own Private Wolfgang by Robert Shearman. Another hastily thrown together mess of a story, about past and future Mozarts, plural. It gets briefly amusing at track 16, but really ends up being just a silly story with a convoluted premise that doesn't really work.
Episode 3 is Bedtime Story by Joseph Lidster. The motivation behind the multi-generational, multi-century manipulation of a family is unlikely and nonsensical, and the terrifying secret is rendered rather powerless as a result.
Episode 4 is The 100 Days of the Doctor, by Paul Cornell, and is the only one of the four that comes close to being satisfying. The Doctor's body has been taken over by a deadly virus, and he has 100 days to stop it. It's a quick trip through his past and future, and through the entire line of Big Finish Doctor Who audio productions, really. It's a nice attempt at an homage to the series, but comes off as being rather gratuitous - it is quite rushed, and only a superficial tribute to the past stories. Still, it has some cool features that Big Finish fans will appreciate, and it gives the listener somewhat of a reward for listening to the rest of 100. The ending gave me a big "pffft", though.
Make no mistake - this is *not* another Circular Time.
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| Pun included: No Sting in this Novel |
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| What: | Sting of the Zygons (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Cursory review: some funny comments by the Doctor, lack of character development, wordy, and very little like the Doctor Who we know.
Detailed review: very VERY little like the real Doctor Who. First of all I am not a huge fan of the author, Stephen Cole. His books often seem to lack real motivation and above all an interesting plot, and this really shows in his latest novel. Virtually this is a story about the Lock Ness monster, and that is where the books gets all caught up: too much time is wasted explaining the monster and the aliens controlling it and why they are there and what they are doing there and how they are controlling their monster, and what they eat for breakfast-- I think you see my point. The book really does take to long to get up and off it's butt and when it finally does I found it taking long and leisurely breaks in between mediocre moments of action-action that I may say was often anticlimactic and disappointed to say the least. I actually found myself wondering when the novel would end (it doesn't help either that of the New BBC Doctor Who novels this is one the longest). The character are to say the least, dull. The Doctor is always fascinating and Martha in her own right, only there seemed little to no connection between them in the story. As for all the supporting characters I had a hard time remembering them all due to the fact they none of them were either interesting nor detailed and often followed that old fashion story archetype of young helper boy or grumpy military authority. So really not very Whovian, not very literate, and just not very good.
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| A little gory but not bad... |
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| What: | Torchwood: Slow Decay (Torchwood novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Alright, yes I am a Torchwood fan so this may be a little bias of a review but let's admit it--anyone wi tries to write a novel on a series about at sexed up paranormal investigative team that is based on a timeless sci-fi TV show has to be given a chance, even if only out of pity. Thus as far as that goes, this was a decent book. It is well written (not in the way of scarlet letter perhaps) and better yet it really keeps close to the show. The big difference between the Doctor Who books and Torchwood books is that Doctor Who normally only has about two characters to conduct a narrative with were as in Torchwood there are at least five. This really keeps the story moving and compelling. The only thing I have to say about this one is it seemed a little gory, even for Torchwood. This is definably not a novel for younger children: there are very prominent themes of cannibalism and self-mutilation outside of the stories normal sex references. So just be prepared when you read and don't let it stop you: there is a very human and comforting point at the end that redeems most of the book.
Hope you enjoy!
| What: | The Resurrection Casket (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | H. N. Y., Mid, Nowhere |
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| Date: | Sunday 2 December 2007 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I am not one normal,ly to pickup any sort of novel from a TV series but let me just say that these Doctor Who novels have really been satisfying. And of all those I have read so far, this has to be my favorite. One thing I am sure all Whovians worry about as we sit down to pursue a Who novel is indeed: is the writer going to capture the Doctor and all the TV characters mannerisms the way we are accustomed to? But that was one thing that really stuck out in this book. I felt as though the author knew whom it was he was writing about. There was no un-needed conversations or misplaced jokes and babbling of the Doctor and the relationship between him and Rose seemed so natural and clear as it is in the series.
Another problem and disappointment often confronted is in the attempt to match a TV episode, the author will try to hard and make the plot confusing, irrelavent, and often battered with many holes. In general, I would say the plot this author took (robotic pirate in space) was no Who story but he truly impressed me. I hate to say this (no I really hate to say this) but it reads like a Pirates of the Carriabian meets Doctor Who. Over all, well worth the effort to write and well worth reading. Kudos to Justin Richards, staying true to Whovian way.
| What: | Wetworld (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Grant Wlliams, England cornwall |
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| Date: | Friday 30 November 2007 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This is a very book. It hocks you in at the begining of the book This is one of the best books
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| A Fantastic audio/visual Collection |
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This is not a review of the individual stories.
That's mainly been done already. However, what a great box set this is. You get all 5 Davros tv stories, and all 8 of the Big Finish audio stories (so far), in one collection. That's 8 dvd's of over 1300 mins of pure entertainment. All nicely packaged together in a limited edition format. I think '2-Entertain' has outdone themselves this time around.
Content:
Genesis of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, Destiny of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks(special edition), Davros. The Juggernauts, Terror Firma, I Davros 1-4 & The Davros Mission.
Go on treat yourself
